Teresa Helm Victim Statement: First Victim to Report

PALM BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT — INITIAL VICTIM REPORT Reporting Party: Teresa Helm (stepmother of minor victim) Date: March 14, 2005 Case Number: 05-368 Assigned Detective: Michele Pagan, later transferred to Detective Joseph Recarey INITIAL COMPLAINT: Teresa Helm contacted the Palm Beach Police Department to report that her 14-year-old stepdaughter had been taken to the home of Jeffrey Epstein at 358 El Brillo Way, Palm Beach, Florida, where she was asked to undress and provide a "massage" to an older man. The stepdaughter reported that she had been recruited by a schoolmate who told her she could earn $200-300 for providing massage services to a wealthy man. Upon arriving at the residence, she was led to a room where Epstein was partially or fully undressed, and she was directed to massage him in a sexual manner. INITIAL INVESTIGATION: Detective Michele Pagan began the initial investigation, which was subsequently taken over by Detective Joseph Recarey. The investigation quickly expanded as the initial victim identified other girls from her school who had also been recruited. SIGNIFICANCE: This police report is considered the first official documented complaint against Jeffrey Epstein. The investigation it triggered would ultimately lead to: - The Palm Beach Police Department's year-long investigation - The FBI's federal investigation - The controversial 2008 non-prosecution agreement - The 2019 federal arrest and indictment in New York - The Ghislaine Maxwell prosecution Without this single report from a concerned stepmother, the full scope of Epstein's criminal operation might never have been uncovered. Source: Palm Beach Police Department Records Available at: https://www.courtlistener.com/